'Wicked' review: The beloved musical now has a wickedly different feeling

Ginna Claire Mason plays the role of Glinda in the North American Touring Company of “Wicked.” The show is being presented through October 15 by Broadway in Cincinnati at the Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., downtown.(Photo: Joan Marcus)

So all those little Oz-ian nuggets are still there. We learn why the Wicked Witch of the West is green, why the lion is cowardly and how those monkeys got their wings.

What’s different about “Wicked” is the world around it. Around us.

First, in case you haven’t seen “Wicked,” a quick once-over of the plot. We begin with the birth of Elphaba, the little girl who will one day become that Wicked Witch. Because of her mother’s dalliances with a shady traveling salesman selling a bright green elixir, her baby is born green. (See? One mystery resolved already.)

Jessica Vosk (L) plays Elphaba and Ginna Claire Mason is Glinda in the North American Touring Company of “Wicked.” The show is being presented through October 15 by Broadway in Cincinnati at the Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., downtown.(Photo: Joan Marcus)

Because of her color, Elphaba’s father scorns her. And when she goes off to finishing school, she is ridiculed and harassed by classmates. But when her magical powers are recognized by the headmistress, Elphaba and her roommate Galinda – later, Glinda the Good – are summoned to meet the Wizard.

Even after so many viewings, I’m still struck by how smart and refined Winnie Holzman’s script is. Of course, she had Gregory Maguire’s brilliant 1995 book to build on. And Stephen Schwartz’s music and lyrics are as fresh as ever, especially in iconic numbers like “Defying Gravity” and “No Good Deed.”

What feels new, though, is the show’s social and political content. Again, not a word has been changed. But the substance of it resonates so much more profoundly than it did even three years ago when the show last came to Cincinnati.

“Wicked” is filled with subplots and dialogue that feel like they were lifted directly from today’s headlines; xenophobia, disinformation – “fake news,” in today’s parlance – heightened racial strife and much more.

They give the show a darker, more ominous feeling. Mind you, if what you want to see is a show about the green girl with a fabulous voice who grows up, is disillusioned and crusades against injustice, it’s still there.

Harry Bouvy plays Doctor Dillamond in an especially harrowing scene in the North American Touring Company of “Wicked.” The show is being presented through October 15 by Broadway in Cincinnati at the Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., downtown.(Photo: Joan Marcus)

But theater doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It never has. At its best, it’s a reflection of the world around us. It can be witty or eye-opening or frightening. It can be a harbinger, as well, or a sobering reflection on the past. And yes, it can be entertaining. But it’s always a social commentary.

In some ways, the timeliness made this my favorite-ever viewing of “Wicked.” None of that could have happened, of course, without a stellar cast. And few theatrical franchises are as select with their casting as “Wicked.”

Friday night, Chelsea Emma Franko stepped into the role of Elphaba. She’s the standby, what most of us call an understudy. It’s been less than two weeks since the first time she played the role. But the audience response was still deafening. Deservedly so. The interplay with Glinda (Ginna Claire Mason) and Fiyero (Jon Robert Hall) – the love interest – was flawless.

It’s not that this role is a cinch. The point is, this is a polished, exceedingly professional production of a brilliant musical. Everything about it still sparkles.

And to add one more twist to Cincinnati’s “Wicked” story, Jessica Vosk, the actor that Franko replaced on Friday, will leave the show Sept. 24. Mary Kate Morrissey takes over the role beginning Sept. 26.

The Broadway in Cincinnati presentation of “Wicked” continues at the Aronoff Center through Oct. 15.